Counter-documentaries: when subjects of investigation go on the attack

There’s a new trend in film, as organisations targeted by documentary-makers – such as the Church of Scientology – produce films discrediting their accusers. But are they enriching or endangering the discussion?

Louis Theroux … soon to be the subject of an investigative documentary by the Church of Scientology. Photograph: Freddie Claire/BBC

Recently Louis Theroux revealed that the Church of Scientology is looking to neutralise his forthcoming documentary about them by producing their very own film about him. In the US there’s a saying that “the best defence is a good offence” and L Ron Hubbard, the founder of the religion, was a believer: “Don’t ever defend, always attack,” he once instructed his followers.

It’s not surprising then, that such “counter-documentaries” are a staple of the Church. They’ve done one on John Sweeney, the Panorama presenter who memorably lost his cool while interviewing Scientology’s then chief spokesman; they’ve done one on CNN’s Anderson Cooper and they’re likely to do one on any public figure who comes even remotely close to criticising them in broad daylight.

One imagines that somewhere in the belly of the Church’s “spiritual headquarters” in Florida, a rapid-response unit of counter-documentarians waits, ready to defend its honour. At the moment, it’s being kept on its toes: HBO recently released a hatchet-job Scientology documentary, Going Clear, and now Theroux, backed up by the producers of Man on Wire and Searching for Sugar Man, is having a go at the subject as well.

The BFI London Film Festival announced today that among the films it has selected for its 59th year will be My Scientology Movie, the highly anticipated BBC-backed Louis Theroux feature that will premiere on October 14.

Produced by Oscar-winner Simon Chinn and directed by John Dower, the film is presented by Theroux, who has made a career out of gently coaxing amazing interviews out of people in some of America’s strangest subcultures. And while he was filming this movie he became the target of Scientology’s camera-wielding crazies, as we reported last December.

In one incident, former Scientology executive Mark “Marty” Rathbun was filming scenes with Theroux at a Hollywood studio when, as they were exiting, they were ambushed by two older Scientologists carrying handheld cameras.

Judging by what the BBC put in a new brochure about the movie, Theroux is making good use of that and similar footage…